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# 18 U.S.C. 2113, Bank robbery and incidental crimes: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-2113-case-outcomes/
- Published: 2026-11-03T06:55:13.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T06:55:13.000Z
- Description: Of 5,118 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 18 U.S.C. 2113 as the most serious charge, 179 (3%) went to trial, and 20 of those trials ended in an acquittal (11%). Guilty pleas ended 4,765 cases (93%). Of the 4,924 people convicted, 4,724 (96%) received a prison te
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › 18 U.S.C. 2113

**In brief:** Of 5,118 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 18 U.S.C. 2113 as the most serious charge, 179 (3%) went to trial, and 20 of those trials ended in an acquittal (11%). Guilty pleas ended 4,765 cases (93%). Of the 4,924 people convicted, 4,724 (96%) received a prison term on this charge, with a median of 63 months (5.2 years).

Updated November 3, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025

This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 5,118 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The series also draws on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 659,036 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/).

## Jury Trials and Bench Trials

Juries decided 159 of the 179 trials and acquitted in 12 (8%). Judges sitting without a jury decided 20 trials and acquitted in 8 (40%).

The bench trial acquittal rate was higher than the jury rate. The bench group is small, and the records do not show why a case was tried to a judge or to a jury. The groups may differ in ways the data does not capture.

Each acquittal rate is a share of trials only. Defendants who pleaded guilty or had their charges dismissed are not part of it.

## The Statute Heading and the Source

In the U.S. Code, Title 18, section 2113 is headed "Bank robbery and incidental crimes". Defendants are counted when their most serious charge at the end of the case fell under it, in any subsection.

The Federal Judicial Center data was counted as in the federal courts' Table D-4\. It includes every case that ended, dismissals and acquittals among them.

## Level of the Charge

Almost all of the charges were felonies: 5,061 (99%). Another 57 (1%) were Class A misdemeanors. None were petty offenses.

## Pleas, Dismissals, and Convictions

Guilty pleas closed 4,765 cases (93%), and dismissals closed 174 (3%). A dismissal in these records can include charges dropped by the government after the same person pleaded guilty in another case.

Through pleas and trial verdicts, 4,924 of the 5,118 defendants (96%) were convicted.

## Prison Terms on This Charge

Of those convicted, 4,724 (96%) received a prison term on this charge. The median among terms of 1 month or more was 63 months (5.2 years). Life terms went to 12 defendants.

The median is the middle value of the terms when ranked. It does not show how widely the terms varied.

## Which Lawyers Handled These Cases?

Federal public or community defenders represented 2,967 defendants (58%). In that group, 95% pleaded guilty, 3% were dismissed, and 60 went to trial, with 12 acquittals (20%).

CJA panel attorneys, private lawyers appointed by the court, represented 1,725 defendants (34%): 91% pleaded guilty, 3% were dismissed, and 104 went to trial, with 5 acquittals (5%). Private (retained) counsel represented 375 (7%): 96% pleaded guilty, 1% were dismissed, and 12 went to trial, with 3 acquittals (25%). Another 10 defendants (less than 1%) represented themselves. Of those, 70% pleaded guilty and 3 went to trial without an acquittal (0 of 3).

Counsel type is recorded at the end of the case. Defendants with retained lawyers and those with appointed lawyers often face different charges and circumstances. These figures describe groups of cases, not the quality of lawyers.

| Type of counsel at the end of the case | Defendants | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| Federal public or community defender   | 2,967      | 95%            | 3%        | 60     | 12 (20%)           |
| CJA panel attorney                     | 1,725      | 91%            | 3%        | 104    | 5 (5%)             |
| Private (retained) counsel             | 375        | 96%            | 1%        | 12     | 3 (25%)            |
| Self-represented                       | 10         | 70%            | 0%        | 3      | 0 (0 of 3)         |

## From Year to Year

The number of cases ending each year was highest in fiscal year 2016, at 733, and lowest in fiscal year 2025, at 300\. Fiscal year 2019 had the most trials, 32\. Fiscal years 2024 and 2025 had 8 trials each.

The acquittal share in any single year rests on few trials. In fiscal year 2021, 4 of 12 trials ended in an acquittal (33%). Small yearly counts like these do not show a trend.

| Fiscal year | Cases ended | Pleaded guilty | Dismissed | Trials | Acquitted at trial |
| ----------- | ----------- | -------------- | --------- | ------ | ------------------ |
| 2016        | 733         | 94%            | 4%        | 21     | 3 (14%)            |
| 2017        | 647         | 94%            | 2%        | 24     | 4 (17%)            |
| 2018        | 712         | 95%            | 2%        | 22     | 2 (9%)             |
| 2019        | 639         | 92%            | 3%        | 32     | 3 (9%)             |
| 2020        | 469         | 92%            | 3%        | 24     | 1 (4%)             |
| 2021        | 406         | 93%            | 4%        | 12     | 4 (33%)            |
| 2022        | 404         | 92%            | 5%        | 11     | 1 (9%)             |
| 2023        | 441         | 92%            | 5%        | 17     | 1 (6%)             |
| 2024        | 367         | 95%            | 3%        | 8      | 0 (0 of 8)         |
| 2025        | 300         | 92%            | 5%        | 8      | 1 (1 of 8)         |

## What the Data Does Not Show

Each defendant is grouped by the most serious charge left at the end. The records hold no case facts and no reasons for outcomes. The approved crosswalk places this section in the pairing for robbery (Article 122), and the comparison posts set it beside courts-martial. This post reports federal cases only.

### How We Counted

Every federal defendant whose case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 and whose most serious charge at the end of the case (TTITLE1) was under 18 U.S.C. 2113, any subsection (5,118), Federal Judicial Center, counted as in the federal courts' Table D-4\. Type of counsel is TCOUNSEL; labels from the FJC criminal codebook. Section heading from the U.S. Code as published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel (release point 119-136).

Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records.

### What to Keep in Mind

**Who is in each set of numbers.** The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended.

**How "plea" and "trial" are counted.** In the federal sentencing numbers, "trial" means the person was convicted after a trial, including people who pleaded guilty to some counts and went to trial on others. People acquitted at trial are not in these numbers at all (see "Who is in each set of numbers"). In the federal case data, the trial rate counts both convictions and acquittals at trial among all defendants whose cases ended, including dismissed cases. Military numbers count contested cases that reached a verdict. These denominators are not the same, and each post states the one it uses.

**Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually.

**Type of counsel describes groups of cases, not lawyers.** The Federal Judicial Center records the type of counsel at the end of the case. Defendants who hire a lawyer differ from defendants who receive an appointed lawyer in their charges, criminal history, and circumstances, and some defendants change lawyers during a case. Differences in outcomes by type of counsel therefore cannot be credited to the type of lawyer.

## Related Analysis

- [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article)
- [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts)
- [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method)
- [18 U.S.C. 1962, Prohibited activities: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-1962-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 2111, Special maritime and territorial jurisdiction: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-2111-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 2114, Mail, money, or other property of United States: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-2114-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [18 U.S.C. 2118, Robberies and burglaries involving controlled substances: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-statute-18-usc-2118-case-outcomes/) (same title of the U.S. Code)
- [Appointed vs. Retained Lawyers in Federal Criminal Cases: How Cases Ended, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-appointed-vs-retained-counsel-outcomes/)
- [Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rates-vs-courts-martial/)
- [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)
- [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source)

**About the author.** Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts *Where All The Bodies Are Buried* and runs the [Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.